India stresses constructive and ‘people-centric’ engagement with Bangladesh | India News
NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday reiterated that it wants to keep neighbourly relations stable and cooperative, and that its diplomacy with Bangladesh rests on a positive, people-focused outlook geared towards shared growth and regional development.At a press briefing on bilateral ties and regional cooperation, foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that in high-level dialogues with Bangladeshi authorities, India continues to give priority to practical cooperation and joint economic progress, concentrating on initiatives that deliver direct benefits to the citizens of both countries.“Our approach towards Bangladesh is to have positive, constructive, and forward-looking engagement with a people-centric focus for mutual growth and prosperity,” Jaiswal stated. “We remain focused on this objective during our discussions with Bangladesh authorities.”Earlier on Saturday, Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, said that former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s arrival in New Delhi two years ago was “unexpected”, adding that the Indian military had no part in arranging her extradition to India.Trivedi was speaking at the Bay of Bengal Conversation in Dhaka, an event hosted by a local think tank, the Centre for Governance Studies. He took questions on Hasina’s legal status and the continuing debate over her extradition.Responding to those demands, Trivedi stated, “Hasinaji was not brought to India by the Indian Air Force or the Indian Army.” He further noted, “It so happened because of the tragic circumstances in Bangladesh during that time. We hope and pray that should never happen, where innocent people get killed, doesn’t matter in which part of the world.”The high commissioner said the development took Indian authorities by surprise.“The military aircraft came to India… India was not prepared. I was watching on television, and the scroll was coming that she was going to some other country. At that point, Hasinaji was still the prime minister of Bangladesh. We had hardly any choice on that. It was our duty as a neighbour to accept the reality of life. Because situations are such that at times you are not prepared for such.”
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“What was our [India’s] choice?” Trivedi asked, noting that refusing “landing permission” could have fundamentally changed how events unfolded. He added that both countries are vibrant democracies whose respective “legal systems” are actively examining matters relating to bilateral legal procedures.The interim administration of Bangladesh lodged its first formal extradition request in December 2024. Since then, the government of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, which took office after the February 2026 general elections, has repeatedly renewed the call.
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